The Sydney Swans are winless after the opening five rounds of the NEAFL season but ruckman Darcy Cameron says belief among the troops is strong.
The Swans fell to their fourth consecutive loss in a gripping one-point defeat to the Aspley Hornets at the SCG on Saturday to remain anchored to the bottom of the ladder.
But Cameron said the Swans were holding their heads high.
“There are plenty of rounds to go in the season and we know we can turn it around,” Cameron said.
“The NEAFL does a top six and we’re not too far from sixth spot on the ladder.
“We’re just focusing on playing good footy and hopefully it will turn around soon.”
Aspley midfielder Matt Payne sprung a goal in the 25th minute of the final term to hand the Hornets the lead on Saturday, but Cameron said the Swans had faith they could claw the deficit back.
“We knew there was still at least a couple of minutes in the game and we knew we just had to get it forward and one of our talls would take a mark or kick a goal,” Cameron said.
“We did have a chance but just failed to hit the scoreboard and it cost us the four points.”
Sydney will meet GWS at Spotless Stadium in Round 6 on Saturday and the NEAFL is a 21-round competition.
The NEAFL consists of 10 teams and the Swans are sitting two wins behind the sixth-placed Northern Territory, while Aspley, Redland, GWS and Sydney make up places seven to 10.
The Swans topped the ladder in 2017 and met the Brisbane Lions in the grand final.
Injuries in the seniors and reserves have paved the way for a raft of QBE Sydney Swans Academy players to bolster the NEAFL stocks in 2018.
Six Academy stars made their first second-tier appearances in the clash with Aspley in Hamish Ellem, Jordan Adams, Jacob Dol, Harry MaGuire, Noah Casalini and Michael Carroll.
Another seven Academy players had made their NEAFL debuts against the Gold Coast Suns the week prior as the Swans fell to a nine-point loss in Queensland.
Ellem was the best of the Academy top-ups in the Aspley clash in a return of two goals and 13 touches.
The 16-year-old giant offers plenty of grunt whether playing as a forward or in the ruck and Cameron said the next generation of stars had shown maturity beyond their years on NEAFL duty.
“They’ve been buying into the culture a lot,” Cameron said.
“They’ve been having a red-hot crack and some of the them are putting up good numbers for the team.
“Hamish stood up in the last few minutes on Saturday and had a shot on goal. He kicked a couple of clutch goals throughout the game as well and it was good to have another big body in there too.”
Cameron produced a stand-out performance of his own in a return of 21 touches, 37 hit-outs and a goal.
He held his own against battle-hardened Aspley big man Will Wolbers and starred in the loss to the Gold Coast the week prior in a performance marked with 27 touches, 32 hit-outs and a pair of goals.
“I’m just playing my role and doing what I can to get my AFL debut and hold that position,” Cameron said.
“I’m going in with an aggressive attitude and doing what I can to help get the win.
“Callum Sinclair and I do a lot of work in and out of the club and he’s good for me. Sam Naismith is also very helpful and I go through a lot of footage with him. Having Dean Cox here as well has been huge.”
